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New Series!

Thompson & Sons

For over 30 years Thompson and Sons has been the local garage for the Rocky Mountain House area. Look for small town lovin’ and fightin’ with sexy happily-ever-afters for the five siblings of the current generation.
A 5 book spin -off series loosely connected with the Six Pack Ranch world.

Featured Series

Granite Lake Wolves

This series of light-hearted paranormal stories is set in the wilderness of the Yukon and Alaska. The stories follow the members of the Granite Lake wolf pack as they deal with life and love as shifters.

Featured Series

Takhini Wolves

Lighthearted paranormal stories based in the city of Whitehorse before bursting out into the wilderness of Alaska and the Yukon. The stories follow the members of the Takhini wolf pack as the new Alpha, local humans, bear shifters and others deal with falling in love and kicking ass.

Featured Series

Six Pack Ranch

The Coleman family has ranched in the Rocky Mountain House area of Alberta for generations. These modern day contemporary cowboy romance stories follow the current family members as they find both their place in the community and happy-ever-afters.

Single Post

30 May 2012

By Vivian Arend

The full list where we’ll be can be found between today and June 12 is here, but we have to start somewhere, and that’s Here and Now.

Welcome to Thea and Viv’s Big Adventure, where over ten+ days we’re going to take you on a journey. You’ll learn a little more about us and our stories–the next in Thea’s Elder Gods and my little wolfies.

The theme for today is Gates/Doors. In other words, taking a chance and starting something new. I searched my computer files for a while trying to find the first thing I wrote back in 2007 when I joined my friend Bonne for the Nanowrimo challenge. See, she wanted support for the month, and I wanted the guaranteed coffee shop breaks sans children every Sunday–it was a wonderful sounding event that led to so much more. I had never written fiction before, although I’ve always been a story-teller.

For your entertainment: unedited and raw (trust me–raw!)

~~*~~

Chapter One: The Secrets of Tarneth

The tight feeling at the back of his throat had started to fade to familiarity. His unease at being alone and in new territory was beginning to fade only because the distance they had left to travel was decreasing. While Lukos had talked him into asking permission for the extra time before their posting started Bec would be happier when they actually got where they were going.

They had set a route that led through the Forest of Lavena northward and then looped in a semi circle back south to their destination of Lemare. They had over a week’s time to travel a distance that could be covered in three days of hard walking, so there would be plenty of opportunities to look around and explore.

Bec glanced sideways at his friend as they paced side by side. They were a contrast in so many ways. Bec was at least two hand spans taller than Lukos, yet both of them were considered tall for their race. With his light brown clothing and his light colouring he blended into the very trees around them, as was very natural for a wood elf. Lukos didn’t exactly stomp, but at fourteen he was coming into his adult growth as a human. His curly dark hair and his swarthy skin contrasted sharply with his bright blue eyes. He was prone to some moodiness and often dressed in dark colours as if in imitation of the palace Muse.

Watching the two was like looking at a slight tree and its shadow swaying down the trail.

~~*~~

Oh, the things I did wrong in that story! But I learned some incredible lessons that have carried on to this day. I learned there’s a joy in writing–that the pleasure I get seems to grow the farther into the world I go. I learned that I can learn–the first chapters of this book are readable but clumsy. The middle chapters were better, and by the time I wrote “The End” I’d picked up a lot of skill.

I learned that sometimes I have to just keep going, and that’ll I’ll understand why something happens down the road.

I learned that someone could actually want to read my work, as my daughter stood over my shoulder and demanded each day that I complete at least one more chapter for her to read. Yes, this was a Young Adult fantasy novel. And I can tell you that no deadline since has ever scared me more than the thought of disappointing her.

What I sometimes think is the most marvelous part of the entire adventure is that it just happened. I’ve worked hard, but I also just walked forward not knowing what the result would be. We do that on adventures–take a chance, book a flight. Pick up a book or make a friend. Taking a new path is always a little frightening, but it’s always exciting.

I hope you enjoy the coming adventure with Thea and I. Once you leave a comment here, move on over to Thea’s to see what she’s been starting lately.

~~><~~

THEA AND VIV’S BIG ADVENTURE is brought to you by Thea Harrison and Vivian Arend, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors with a love for both travel and writing. They have joined together for the nefarious purpose of celebrating their next Samhain Publishing ebooks.

Thea’s DEVIL’S GATE releases June 5. The novella returns readers to the world of The Elder Races. Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Comment for your chance to win:
Information re: Grand Prize can be found at Thea or Viv’s

DAILY PRIZE: One commenter here at this blog will win their choice of one of Thea or Viv’s backlist Samhain ebooks from either the Elder Races or Granite Lake Wolves series. If you’ve got them all, you can gift this to a friend!

Question for today:
What’s something you’d like to try to learn? Or something you’ve started to learn recently?

I’d love to learn to drive a motorcycle…it just looks like so much fun! I see women doing it every day, but it’s just something I’ve always told myself I couldn’t do…or, at least, not w/out killing myself!

I’ve started to learn writing my own book. Its so hard to do, and I’m working full time. But I hope I can finish it and try to offer to some publisher =)

Susan

May 30, 2012
7:20 am

I would like to learn photo editing. I have tons of pictures from a vacation last year and no clue what to do with them.

CrystalGB

May 30, 2012
8:42 am

I would like to learn to knit.

cinful1121

May 30, 2012
8:43 am

I went for it and learned how to ride motorcycles. No more two up for me I have my own now ;D

Joanne B

May 30, 2012
9:32 am

I’d like to learn photography. The pictures I take are so-so, and I’d like to make them better.
Congrats on the soon to be new release.

Hannah

May 30, 2012
9:54 am

I really want to learn how to speak Farsi. I’m the only one in my family (well, apart from my brother and mother) who doesn’t speak it. I grew up speaking English and Arabic, and a smattering of Farsi words here and there. It was enough to be understood at family gatherings, but I’ve always felt a bit like the idiot child, not able to communicate properly. *sigh* Unfortunately I’ve got a cloth ear for languages. Mother said I had “the accent of a monkey” when I was learning French for my GCSEs. I agree think she is a little harsh. :p

Dorothy H.

May 30, 2012
11:25 am

I would love to learn Spanish and Russian. I took 2 years of Spanish, but it hasn’t stuck enough for me to be proficient in it.

Sullivan McPig

May 30, 2012
11:41 am

I’d love to learn how to cook a really good curry and make it look just as yummy as in the pictures in cookbooks. My curries always look like lumpy goo.

elaing8

May 30, 2012
12:36 pm

I’d really like to learn photography. Its something I always wanted to do better at.

Fedora

May 30, 2012
12:37 pm

Woohoo, Vivian!!! Congrats on this tour with Thea, and YAY for Wolf Line!

Learning something new?? Do you think I could learn to like jogging? ;p Or how to be a neatnik? I guess more realistically, I’m aiming to learn to let go of more stuff (either by recycling or giving it away) and I’m aiming to help the kids learn some basic cooking and cleaning skills this summer. Aim high, right?

Cathy M

May 30, 2012
1:36 pm

I started learning more about digital cameras, so I can buy the right one to take pictures of my new grandbaby.

I want to learn to shoot a gun. Just to know what it is like. I am getting them for my Daddy and I for Father’s Day as something fun to do together.

Elizabeth H.

May 30, 2012
3:20 pm

I would love to learn how to play the guitar. I like to sing on occation and I think it would be pretty cool to learn the guitar so I could play and sing at the same time : )

Z

May 30, 2012
3:35 pm

I would love to learn to bake and cook more from scratch instead of out of a box. I do make a great corn bread but I’d love to make a cake from scratch and learn sauces.
Z

Maria E.

May 30, 2012
4:30 pm

I would love to learn more American Sign Language. Two of my nephews boys are deaf. Being boys they do not have patience in helping you communicate with them. So this is something I need to learn quick….

Laurie

May 30, 2012
4:35 pm

I come from a huge family and there are recipes that are starting to get lost as time goes on. I’d like to learn how to cook/bake some these and carry on the tradition and start a recipe collection of them to pass on as well.

Colleen

May 30, 2012
4:59 pm

I always wanted to learn to play the violin… never tried it.
Congrats on your upcoming releases!

Viki S.

May 30, 2012
5:25 pm

I’d love to learn how to get the books I have on my PC onto my Kindle ;). Honestly I’d love to learn and retain more electronic knowledge.

Pamiam

May 30, 2012
7:29 pm

I think I would love to learn how to cook more exotic dishes. Unfortunately my hubby is such a picky eater that he won’t even try something new. I would also like to learn to dance.

Stacey Conrad

May 30, 2012
8:28 pm

I’m learning a new job for the summer. I am working at the public library downtown; I am a high school librarian, in “real life.” Both jobs are bears–one is a grizzly and one is a polar. So–same family–different geography, climate, food, etc. But yes, learning just the same!

I’d like to learn how to do some photo editing. How to do a lot of the special effects to pictures. I think that would really be neat.
I like adventures.

Pamk

May 30, 2012
11:48 pm

I ‘d love to take a photography class.
scrtsbpal at yahoo dot com

Karen

May 31, 2012
7:01 am

I’d like to conquer baguette baking this summer. I’ve been baking bread since I was in high school so it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn!

JenM

May 31, 2012
10:02 am

I’ve always wanted to take flying lessons, but the cost scared me off. Maybe I should learn to ride a motorcycle instead.

Jane

May 31, 2012
5:01 pm

I think it would be cool to learn how to fly.

Nancy Gilliland

May 31, 2012
8:50 pm

Trying to think of something I’d like to learn, and I think it would be to learn to create jewelry using unique items-I’ve tried feathers, but I’d like to learn new beading techniques.

Kai W.

May 31, 2012
9:07 pm

I would love to learn how to swim. I have been afraid of water ever since my near drowning experience. I have always stuck to the shallow side or the edge. Learning to swim would help me overcome my fear.

Aurore

Jun 1, 2012
5:16 pm

I would like to learn German. I’ve taken classes at the university but it was far from enough! And I would like to speak Japanese too, it’s such a beautiful language.
I think the way you learned to write is great! You had the best fan at home and I think that, with support, one can do anything.

Vanessa N.

Jun 2, 2012
12:46 am

I’ve always wanted to learn to drive a motorcycle. I’m aiming to try it this year.

I would love to learn how to be a professional organizer. It could be just because I am in spring cleaning mode, but the thought of organizing my house and helping others do the same is just so appealling. I have purchased a couple of books to learn about the topic! Dork Alert!!!

Artemis

Jun 8, 2012
1:11 pm

I try to make jewelry. I don’t know if they are beautiful but I really enjoy it. I would like to try to learn more languages.
Thank you for the giveaway!

Evie

Jun 9, 2012
8:05 am

I would like to learn how to sew.

Raonaid Luckwell

Jun 10, 2012
12:57 pm

I would like to learn to make my own candles, soaps, and incense. I think it would be fun

donnas

Jun 12, 2012
12:23 am

I want to learn to fly a plane and shoot a gun. I know a weird combo. I wanted to learn to ski and tried it and well it didnt work out so well.

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